Critique: ‘Dallas’ Episode 111 — ‘The Ewing Touch’

In “The Ewing Touch’s” most memorable moment, Miss Ellie warns Rebecca not to cross her family. “Other people have fought the Ewings before — and they’ve regretted it,” Ellie says. This is a great scene for several reasons, not the least of which is the fun that comes from seeing two old pros like Barbara Bel Geddes and Priscilla Pointer square off against each other. Moreover, I like how the exchange recalls Ellie’s famous admonishment of the cartel, when the tiny matriarch chastised a roomful of powerful oilmen with a similar don’t-mess-with-the-Ewings speech. Ellie’s latest clash pits her against a fellow grandmother, but the confrontation is no less satisfying. Think about it: Rebecca wants revenge against the Ewings because she blames J.R. for Cliff’s suicide attempt. Her vendetta is as irrational as it is unfair. She deserves Ellie’s rebuke.

Of course, as terrific as this scene is, don’t allow it to overshadow the rest of Bel Geddes’ work in “The Ewing Touch,” which is typically wonderful. Most of Ellie’s scenes show how she is resuming her life after Jock’s death. We see her happily toasting Christopher’s adoption, attending a “political meeting” with Donna and, in the most surprising turn, hosting a dinner party at Southfork so her family can meet Frank Crutcher, the gentleman she met at the Oil Baron’s Ball. Frank’s presence at Southfork makes her sons uncomfortable, but Ellie later assures Bobby that she thinks of Frank only as a friend. Nevertheless, the fact remains: Ellie is making room in her life for a man who isn’t Jock.

This transitional phase in the life of the Ewings is symbolized by a moving sequence involving, of all things, Jock’s car. At the beginning of “The Ewing Touch’s” third act, Ellie is quietly surveying the Southfork landscape when Bud, who owns the garage where Jock had his prized Lincoln Continental worked on, arrives and reminds Ellie that the car is overdue for servicing. Bud suggests Ellie might want to sell the vehicle, but she dismisses the idea. “You take it in and do whatever Jock would have done to it,” Ellie tells him. We then cut to a scene of Ray preparing to teach Mickey to ride a horse — a subtle reminder that Ray is following in Jock’s footsteps by taking a younger man under his wing — and then we return to Ellie standing in the driveway, watching as Bud drives away in Ewing 1. The family, like the car, is moving on.

The other highlight in “The Ewing Touch” is the scene where J.R. drops by Holly’s house and pokes fun of the shirtless hunk lounging near her swimming pool. “Traveling with the intellectual set, I see,” J.R. quips. Holly flirts with J.R. — which is a bit odd, given the brush-off she gave him a few episodes earlier — and even suggests he “stretch out” and spend some time with her by the pool. To the surprise of the audience and perhaps even to himself, J.R. rejects Holly’s offer, telling her he’s trying to “stay pure” for his wedding. Besides, he says, “I wouldn’t want to confuse Bonzo.”

The rest of “The Ewing Touch” is a bit uneven. Cliff gets angry at Pam for helping Bobby going into business with the McLeish brothers, even though she had no idea Cliff was interested in a deal with them too. This is a little irrational, even for Cliff. My feelings about Lucy’s storyline are mixed too: I like how she resists her client Bill Johnson’s attempt to date her — it seems she learned a valuable lesson about mixing business with pleasure when she got involved with Roger Larson in the previous season — but the Shirley Temple getup that Lucy sports during her photo shoot is more than a little creepy.

“The Ewing Touch” also offers two casting milestones. First, Tami Barber makes her final appearance as Bev, Lucy’s girlfriend, when she sits silently next to Ellie at Lucy’s final divorce hearing. Second, Josef Rainer makes his first appearance on “Dallas” as Runland, the parts supplier who gives Bobby the run-around. Rainer later appears in the “Dallas: The Early Years” TV movie as Sam Culver, Donna’s first husband, then returns to the show as Mr. Barton, Sue Ellen’s business advisor. His fourth and most famous “Dallas” role is Dr. David Gordon, the plastic surgeon who treats Pam after her car accident. According to TV Guide, the producers of TNT’s “Dallas” hoped Rainer would play Gordon again two recentepisodes of the new show, and when they were unable to track him down, they recast the role with Sam Anderson.

Too bad. One actor playing four roles in two “Dallas” series and a movie? That might have been a record.

Comments

I had forgotten how prominent Ellie was in this episode. Her range was so amazing- she went from doting new grandmother, to extremely formidable lady, back to grieving widow and then into a woman flirting with a man.
I love the quiet scenes of Classic Dallas, Jock’s car being driven away being a great example, they conveyed so much emotion but were never over the top. You really felt the scene versus just viewing it. This is something that is sadly missing with the new show.

I loved this season of Dallas and as always BBG continues to shine brightly as Miss Ellie. She was just a class act – she didn’t need words or a script to convey what she was feeling. Ive said it so many times, she gave Dallas a heart and a soul and with Susan Howard kept it grounded. Now sadly missing.
TNT Dallas should watch and learn – this season is one of the finest – with all the cast playing a part – such great Dallas days and another great review from Chris.
Thanks
BF x

Cliff’s really annoying the heck out of me! Is that “man” ever going to grow up? That stupid attack towards Pam because of the Canadian deal was so childish. And the way he’s treating Afton! To him, she appears to be worth no more than the dirt under his shoes… I’m not a big Afton fan, but she doesn’t deserve this.

I too loved Ellie’s scenes especially the ones with Donna. I wish they would play up Donna’s interest in the environmental movement. I agree it didn’t make any sense for Holly to be flirting with JR after rebuffing him. But then again Afton seems to have forgotten she has a brother and Sue Ellen never had another conversation with Bobby or JR about Christopher’s parentage. I suppose we are to assume it happened offscreen. Not everything in the Dallasverse makes sense. I hate the camera angles on Lois Chiles body. The way they portray professional women makes it a trial to watch. The plot feels tighter with all of JR’s enemies coalescing and the audience unsure of what JR is planning.

C.B., I would just adore it if you could get a cameo on an episode of DALLAS TNT. You could turn it into a promotion of gay rights & say be a friend to Sue Ellen. How do like that boy? Let me the 1st name to sign the petition to have C.B. aka “DALLAS Decoder” on DALLAS itself!

[…] he mean it? I believe he does. After all, J.R. resisted the temptation to cheat with Holly in “The Ewing Touch,” one of the previous episodes. The audience is less sure of J.R.’s sincerity at the end of “Post […]